aussielover

Missy is 7.5 months old right? I'd say the problem has been going on for a while... why is it only now you've decided to fix it, or at least ask for help to fix it? Missy has had at least 4 months to practice the behaviour and reward herself for performing it. It is now becoming a highly rewarding in built behaviour, which imo may need professional help. Given the other problems you have had with your dogs and how you treat them- didn't you say that you poured cold water over you chi for barking at one stage- I think you really should get someone in who knows what they are doing.

Set up a pen or crate for him inside, keep Mason outside.

Ok I am confused??? Before you said she is stubborn and won;t listen when is around the cats- she won;t respond to food, toys or voice etc and now you are saying if you raise your voice she will listen? Ummm why don't you just raise your voice then to get her to stop annoying the cats.

But don't you have to apply permoxin spray every day for tick protection? Quite time consuming...

You are the one who first raised the question of rehoming: What do your obedience trainers say about Missy harassing the cats? Have they given you any tips? Perhaps ask them for advice as they actually know her? Or even better get a behaviourist to come to your home and observe the behaviour. Have you thought about taking Missy rabbiting or lure coursing or some other activity to get some drive satisfaction?

Have you considered getting a professional trainer or behaviourist in to help?

Proban has stopped being made- something about difficulties in sourcing one of the ingredients.

NO- DO NOT USE PERMOXIN ON CATS Permoxin is toxic to cats. You could use advantix/permoxin on the dogs if they don't interact with the cats. However, if they sleep together, play together etc it is not a good idea as some might rub off onto the cats. Frontline is effective for ticks (although useless for fleas). Frontline spray is the only product registered for tick prevention in cats.

Please remember to give her heartworm prevention though. Advantix also treats fleas. You have to use it fortnightly for tick prevention. I don;t do regular worming with my dog; however i do give her monthly heartguard treatments which also treats some intestinal worms. She is flea allergic, so it is very important to prevent any fleas from biting her. I use advantix for flea and tick prevntion

Personally I think a reliable recall is one of the most important things to teach. Then of course teaching the pup that interacting with you is the best thing ever. This can be done by play, teaching tricks/ basic commands, cuddle time etc And for some puppies, teaching them to be bearable to live with is a high priority! So general house rules, toilet training, how to be calm etc.

Definitely go to another club! Maybe ask for some recommendations in the training forum? Or maybe in the WA thread (if u do a search you should see there is a thread for WA dolers). I actually know quite a few Keeshonds, they are gorgeous and are very good at obedience and agility. Bear is such an appropriate name for one!!! Love it

Totally agree Jumabaar. The behaviours you are describing are not necessarily those of a dominant dog and some of them sound completely normal. I know my dog would not move from her sleeping position unless she had to... Problems can arise when the dog challenges you if you try to move it/ step over it or if it growls at you when you push him away- but I gather these things aren't happening? I would advise you to relax a little- you have not failed your dog, the fact that you have found this forum and are asking for advice is proof of that! I don't think your dogs behaviour is particularly dominant from what you have described. I think you should enjoy your dog for what they are- young, active, intelligent, playful dogs. I would advise you to go to an obedience or agility club with your Keeshond- they are active working dogs that like to be challenged, and perhaps this would help sort out some of his issues and help develop a better training bond between you both. When they look like they are playing too rough, simple separate them until they calm down. If you're still really concerned then see another trainer- as others have suggested Erny or Cosmolo on DOL are well respected :)

I know a number of people who have had success in teaching "shake" by simply picking up their dogs paw. The dogs understand soon enough :) I used the teasing with a treat, but my dog is very naughty and will offer a lot of behaviours for food :laugh:

There are good dogs and bad dogs in any breed. It is always nice to hear of good experiences with restricted breeds as they often receive a lot of undeserved negative media attention. However, please be careful with who you let bella play with. She did not seem to be enjoying playing with the larger dog who kept chasing her down only to then stand over her.. She did seem to have fun interacting with the other Cav a lot though Also, there are certain risks involved with letting a small breed puppy play with a large 30kg dog. Let me assure you it REALLY hurts when a 30kg dog runs over you- even if they meant it only in fun. I only let my 30kg dog play certain games with small puppies eg. tug or bitey face with my large dog lying down. I would not let her engage in chasing games with a small puppy or dog as she could injure them accidently by running over them and it can also stimulate prey drive. I saw an incident a few days ago where a tiny CKCS puppy was engulfed in the mouth of a young viszla . I think it was just a play behaviour or even a retrieving behaviour and to be totally honest, I don't really blame the older dog as the puppy looked remarkably similar to a guinea pig or similar small prey animal. This really scared the puppy and their owners, but luckily no harm was done, because as I said before, it was done in a playful way. Of course the older dogs owner should have had better control over their dog as well, but that is the risk with dog parks. ETA= Bella is extremely cute!!!

Can't go in the formal lounge room, can't go into any of the studys or any bedrooms (except mine- she sleeps on my bed ). Can't get up on the couch unless invited. The dog learnt remarkably quickly considering there are no doors at all downstairs. There is an "imaginary line" for the lounge room and she is very good at not crossing it. sounds very strict, but in reality she is very spoilt and there is generally no need or want for her to go into any of the "forbidden" areas.

I don't really think moving the puppy outside while it is toileting is necessary and it can end up being even more messy! I'd just wait for the pup to finish and then pop it in a crate or out of the way and clean up. Accidents are bound to happen and despite some people basically implying that if you let your puppy toilet inside accidently you are an extremely bad person who is never going to be able to toilet train your dog, most puppies readily learn to go in the appropriate spot fairly quickly (even though it may seem like an eternity to you lol).

Yes, TBH I feel sorry for owners of DA dogs that try to do the right thing by walking their dogs on lead at quiet times, in on-lead areas, only to be confronted with off leash dogs provoking them. I try not to let my dog approach on lead dogs (even in an off leash area) and if she did, I would accept responsibility, if there was an incident.

The OP said their dog ran up and barked at the other dog- hardly just a "bouncy" approach, the other dog may have seen it as a charge or provocation. As lovely as greyhounds are, I can imagine one running up to you and barking would be pretty intimidating. As for you first point- this would pretty much mean no giant breed owner should walk their dog without a muzzle as few people could truly hold back a 60-80kg dog when it is aggravated.

Did this happen in an off leash area? I don't really think you can expect the owners to pay for your vet bills, after all this wouldn't have happened if your dog was adequately controlled. They were controlling their dog as well as could be expected (on a leash), they may not have known their dog would break the leash and attack your dog- who provoked their dog. Having said that, the dog caused serious damage and should be reported so that measures can be taken to prevent such incidents in future eg. a stronger lead or muzzle. I hope your dog is ok and makes a quick recovery.

It might make you wonder. Talk to enough vets, kennel owners and groomers and you might form a different view. They're there for dogs and they'll do what ever it takes to keep the dogs calm and often that means owner out of the picture ASAP. A no fuss departure where the dogs are taken from you is pretty common for a lot of such businesses. A teary owner saying fond farewells stresses a lot of dogs and acting to prevent such a possiblity would be pretty common I think. I think there is a difference between a no fuss departure and being rude to the owner. In my experience, it is usually explained to the owner that it is not possible to accompany the dog to the kennel as it upsets the other boarding dogs and can be more traumatic for their dog as well. Most owners are understanding and there is no need to resort to rudeness or lack of understanding/courtesy.

It is one month in quarantine and the dogs are actually very well cared for. Obviously if the dog has a separation anxiety issue then it would probably not cope. Most people are not condemning the OP, simply pointing out that taking a dog to a european country may not be as difficult as the OP thought, and that it may actually be an option.

I copied the actual words of the question asked by the OP. It asked if someone had the right to go up and pat a dog without asking for the owners' permission. Tell me why, in your scenario, you will talk to the dog first? And are unwilling or unable to speak a few words to the person who owns the dog? When in those same seconds, you could've displayed good manners combined with a reality check....and spoken to the owner... 'Is it OK to pat your dog?' The good manners in asking the owner, tests degree of risk. Only a fantasist believes that there can never, ever be any risk. And, it's not just risk... an owner has the right to not want strangers patting their dog. As someone else said, just as people have the right to not want strangers touching their babies & small children. The question in the poll was: Should a person be able to pat a strange dog (without asking the owners permission) without the fear of being bitten? In the scenario I described I was thinking more about kids who might be more inclined to talk to the dog only. I know kids who have run up to my dog and spoken to her first, not me. This usually gets her attention and at least she is aware of them so she can move away or go over to a sniff and pat. In my experience, it is quite rare for adults to pat my dog without at least acknowledging me first, maybe not directly asking my permission but a smile and hesitation, where I could easily jump in and say please don't pat her, she is working or she is a bit shy etc. BTW i DONT think that a person has a right to go up to pat a dog without asking permission. I think people should exercise common sense. I'm going to quote Greymate again as I dont think I could put it more succinctly myself:

Actually the OP asked should it be ok to pat a strange dog (without permission) without fear of being bitten. Which is somewhat different to: is it anyone's right to go up to a strange dog and pat it without asking the owners first? I think if a person approaches in a non threatening way eg. talking to the dog first, letting it know your there, letting it approach you etc then they should not fear being bitten in a public situation. Obviously if they throw them selves upon the dog, startle it and bear hug it, they should expect a less than favourable response. ETA: obviously it could be considered rude not to ask the owners permission before patting. But I don't necessarily think people should fear being bitten by the dog if they make a mistake and don't ask (especially kids)

I completely agree with this.

Ewwww Archie!!!! Eggs can carry salmonella and other nasties but dog (especially labradors) seem to generally have an iron gut when it comes to these sort of "dietary indiscretions" so he should be right. I'd watch for signs of vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy etc over the next few days though.